Treatment of hydrocarbons.



W/TTNES .l. ROSEN.

TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBONS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3. 1913.

Patented Mar. 19,1918.

IN VENTOR. ygarv fl cz/n JEAN :aosmv, or PARIS, FRANCE, nssrsnon r socrrzrn DES COMBUSTIIBLES INDUSTRIELS, or PARIS, rnnncn.

TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 19, 1918.

Application filed February 3, 1913. Serial No. 745,948.

2 the process described in my co-pending application, Serial #723863, filed in the United States Patent Office Oct. 4, 1912, and relating to the conversion of coal tars and the like into pitch.

The present process resembles that described in the above mentioned application in that it contemplates the conversion of -coal tar and other tars, petroleum oils,

naphthalene, anthracene residues, creosote, schist oils, petroleum residues and the like, unmixed with other than their natural oily constituents into pitch.

One object of the present invention rcsides in withdrawing a fraction of the material treated therefrom in the form of vapor at one point in the process and condensing the same, the advantage of this step residing in the fact that it is desirable to with draw .and condense certain volatile substances which are equal or greater in market value than the pitch, whereas the residue is passed on and converted into pitch. The process of the present invention is carried out by means of a column still which consists of a series of interconnecting column stills. The mass to be treated may be divided among these columns and the parts distilled off by heating the mass and treating the same with air in the apparatus referred to, the parts being either condensed and separately collected or passed into a portion of the material identical with the original material where they undergo further treatment for conversion into pitch.

During the treatment of the mass, provided it be coal tar, such fractionate parts as anthracene oils are recovered by condensation since the value of these oils is such as to render it uneconomical to transform the same into pitch.

In the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic representation of the apparatus for carrying out the process the coal tar still A contains the mass, such as coal tar or the like, to be treated. A pipe B introduces a current of air under a. pressure only about sufficient to substantially force the air through the mass. A condenser O is provided as is also a subsequent column D holding a mass of tar similar to that held in the retort A.

Now, if during the process of converting the coal tar into pitch, it is desired to recover certain constituents of the raw mate rial or original mass, such as anthracene oils, the condenser C is brought into play by closing cocks a, e, Z) and 0 and opening cock d. On the other hand if the vapors distilled off are to be converted, into pitch by further similar treatment the valves a and 0 are closed while d and b are open and the vapor is sent back to the volume A, if a single column is used, or sent to a recipient portion of the original mass in column D if more than one column is used.

In this manner all the constituents of the raw material that are to be converted into pitch are rapidly and progressively treated.

The temperature at which the material may be treated preferably ranges above 100 C. and a most efficient range of temperature has been found to be 110.

The air not absorbed in A is permitted to escape to the atmosphere after leaving the condenser G, or if the element D is employed, said air is caused to traverse the contents of said element before escaping.

What I claim is:

1. The process of transforming tar and other hydrocarbons unmixed with other than their natural oily constituents into pitch which consists in supplyingto a heated mass thereof a current of air driven thereinto, by a force only about sufficient substantially, to force the air therethrough, the oxygen being nearly all absorbed by the mixture causinga transformation thereof.

2. The process of transforming tar and other hydrocarbons unmixed with other than their natural oily constituents into pitch which consists in supplying to a heated mass thereof a current of air driven thereinto, by a force sufficient substantially, to force the air therethrough, the oxygen being nearly all absorbed by the'mixture causing a transformation thereof, and conducting the gas arising from the subject of operation into a second body of the same material, whereby said second body will be preheated and to some extent transformed by the vapor escaping from the first body.

3. The process of transforming tar and other hydrocarbons unmixed with other than their natural oily constituents into I than their natural oily constituents into pitch which consists in placing the tar or hydrocarbons in a vertical column, blowin air into said material at the bottom thereof, under a pressure of at least 2 atmospheres, said pressure resulting from the static load only which results from a vertical column of tar heated to a temperature of between 110 and 220 C. in starting progressively with about 110 (1., the escaping air retaining the hydrocarbon vapors and being directed into a recipient which contains a determined quantity of tar intended for further treatment.

5. The process of transforming tar and other hydrocarbons unmixed with other than their natural oily constituents into pitch, which consists in dividing the mass to be distilled, then heating one portion thereof to a higher temperature and passing a current of air therethrough, recuperating the escaping air,- gases and vapors in a recipient portion of the original mass, discontinuing the treatment of the first portion, and then successively treating 'each succeeding recipient portion in a similar manner until complete transformation of the original mass is effected.

6. The process of transforming tar and other hydrocarbons unmixed with other than their natural oily constituents into pitch, which consists in dividing the mass to be distilled, then heating one portion thereofv to a higher temperature and passlng a current of a1r therethrough, recuperating the escaping a1r, gases and vapors in a recipient portion of the original of the original mass is effected and with- I drawing one of the vapors given off from one of the heated portions and condensing the same, such condensed product being equal or greater in value than the transformed mass.

.7. The process of transforming coal tar and other tars, petroleum oils and naphthalene and anthracene residues,- creosote and schist oils and petroleum residues and the like into pitch consisting in that the raw material to be converted into pitch is heated in a column-like still and is submitted to the action of air, the vapors given off being condensed and separated into several fractions, part of which are passed back into the column containing the raw material, so as to completely convert the fractions passed back into pitch by further treatment with a1r.

8. The process of transforming coal tar and other tars, petroleum oils and naphthalene and anthracene residues, creosote and schist oils and petroleum residues and the like into pitch consisting in that the raw material to be converted into-pitch is heated in a still comprising several columns and is given off being partly condensed and separated into several fractions and partly passed on to the following column in the series of columns, so as to be completely converted into pitch by further treatment.

I JEAN ROSEN. Witnesses:

HANSON C. CoxE, YACK FRIEDENSCKTEIN.

submitted tothe action of air, the vapors 

